The Principal Gods Family Tree
(Heaven) Uranus = Gaea (Earth)
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Cronus = Rhea
Coeus = Phoebe
Oceanus = Tethys
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Iapetus
---------------------Leto = Zeus
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Hestia | Poseidon | Demeter=Zeus
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---------------Hades
Zeus = Hera
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Persephone
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| Prometheus |
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Athena |
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Atlas
Epimetheus
--------------Apollo Artemis |
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Ares Hebe Hephaestus
Zeus=Maia Zeus=Dione
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Hermes
Aphrodite
From Edith Hamiltion's Mythology
taken from http://www.desy.de/gna/interpedia/greek_myth/godsFT.html
Ancient Gods - The Family Tree
taken from http://www.hol.gr/greece/godsft.htm
The Olympians are a group of 12 gods who ruled
after the overthrow of the Titans. All the
Olympians are related in some way. They are
named after their dwelling place, Mount
Olympus.
The Olympians Description
Zeus
Zeus overthrew his Father Cronus. He then drew lots with his brothers
Poseidon and Hades. Zeus won the draw and became the supreme ruler of the gods. He is
lord of the sky, the rain god. His weapon is a thunderbolt which he hurls at those who
displease him. He is married to Hera but, is famous for his many affairs. He is also
known to punish those that lie or break oaths.
Poseidon Poseidon is the brother of Zeus. After the overthrow of their Father
Cronus he drew lots with Zeus and Hades, another brother, for shares of the world. His
prize was to become lord of the sea. He was widely worshiped by seamen. He married
Amphitrite, a granddaughter of the Titan Oceanus. At one point he desired Demeter. To
put him off Demeter asked him to make the most beautiful animal that the world had ever
seen. So to impress her Poseidon created the first horse. In some accounts his first
attempts were unsuccessful and created a variety of other animals in his quest. By the
time the horse was created his passion for Demeter had cooled. His weapon is a trident,
which can shake the earth, and shatter any object. He is second only to Zeus in power
amongst the gods. He has a difficult quarrelsome personality. He was greedy. He had a
series of disputes with other gods when he tried to take over their cities.
Hades
Hades is the brother of Zeus. After the overthrow of their Father Cronus he
drew lots with Zeus and Poseidon, another brother, for shares of the world. He had the
worst draw and was made lord of the underworld, ruling over the dead. He is a greedy
god who is greatly concerned with increasing his subjects. Those whose calling increase
the number of dead are seen favorably. The Erinyes are welcomed guests. He is
exceedingly disinclined to allow any of his subjects leave. He is also the god of wealth,
due to the precious metals mined from the earth. He has a helmet that makes him
invisible. He rarely leaves the underworld. He is unpitying and terrible, but not
capricious. His wife is Persephone whom Hades abducted. He is the King of the dead but,
death itself is another god, Thanatos.
Hestia
Hestia is Zeus sister. She is a virgin goddess. She does not have a distinct
personality. She plays no part in myths. She is the Goddess of the Hearth, the symbol of
the house around which a new born child is carried before it is received into the family.
Each city had a public hearth sacred to Hestia, where the fire was never allowed to go
out.
Hera
Hera is Zeus’s wife and sister. She was raised by the Titans Ocean and Tethys.
She is the protector of marriage and takes special care of married women. Hera's
marriage was founded in strife with Zeus and continued in strife. Zeus courted her
unsuccessfully. He then turned to trickery, changing himself into disheveled cuckoo.
Hera feeling sorry for the bird held it to her breast to warm it. Zues then resumed his
normal form and taking advantage of the surprise he gained, raped her. She then married
him to cover her shame. Once when Zeus was being particularly overbearing to the other
gods, Hera convinced them to join in a revolt. Her part in the revolt was to drug Zeus,
and in this she was successful. The gods then bound the sleeping Zeus to a couch taking
care to tie many knots. This done they began to quarrel over the next step. Briareus
overheard the arguments. Still full of gratitude to Zeus, Briareus slipped in and was able
to quickly untie the many knots. Zeus sprang from the couch and grabbed up his
thunderbolt. The gods fell to their knees begging and pleading for mercy. He seized Hera
and hung her from the sky with gold chains. She wept in pain all night but, none of the
others dared to interfere. Her weeping kept Zeus up and the next morning he agreed to
release her if she would swear never to rebel again. She had little choice but, to agree.
While she never again rebelled, she often intrigued against Zeus's plans and she was often
able to outwit him. Most stories concerning Hera have to do with her jealous revenge for
Zeus's infidelities. Her sacred animals are the cow and the peacock. Her favorite city is
Argos.
Ares
Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera. He was disliked by both parents. He is the
god of war. He is considered murderous and bloodstained but, also a coward. When
caught in an act of adultery with Aphrodite her husband Hephaestus is able publicly
ridicule him. His bird is the vulture. His animal is the dog.
Athena
Athena is the daughter of Zeus. She sprang full grown in armor from his
forehead, thus has no mother. She is fierce and brave in battle but, only fights to protect
the state and home from outside enemies. She is the goddess of the city, handicrafts, and
agriculture. She invented the bridle, which permitted man to tame horses, the trumpet, the
flute, the pot, the rake, the plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot. She is the
embodiment of wisdom, reason, and purity. She was Zeus's favorite child and was
allowed to use his weapons including his thunderbolt. Her favorite city is Athens. Her
tree is the olive. The owl is her bird. She is a virgin goddess.
Apollo
Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto. His twin sister is Artemis . He is the god
of music, playing a golden lyre. The Archer, far shooting with a silver bow. The god of
healing who taught man medicine. The god of light. The god of truth, who can not speak
a lie. One of Apollo's more important daily tasks is to harness his chariot with four horses
an drive the Sun across the sky. He is famous for his oracle at Delphi. People traveled to
it from all over the Greek world to divine the future. His tree was the laurel. The crow his
bird. The dolphin his animal.
Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the goddess of love, desire and beauty. In addition to her
natural gifts she has a magical girdle that compels anyone she wishes to desire her. There
are two accounts of her birth. One says she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione. The other
goes back to when Cronus castrated Uranus and tossed his severed genitals into the sea.
Aphrodite then arose from the sea foam on a giant scallop and walked to shore in Cyprus.
She is the wife of Hephaestus. The myrtle is her tree. The dove, the swan, and the
sparrow her birds.
Hermes Hermes is the son of Zeus and Maia. He is Zeus messenger. He is the
fastest of the gods. He wears winged sandals, a winged hat, and carries a magic wand. He
is the god of thieves and god of commerce. He is the guide for the dead to go to the
underworld. He invented the lyre, the pipes, the musical scale, astronomy , weights and
measures, boxing, gymnastics, and the care of olive trees.
Artemis
Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and Leto. Her twin brother is Apollo .
She is the lady of the wild things. She is the huntsman of the gods. She is the protector of
the young. Like Apollo she hunts with silver arrows. She became associated with the
moon. She is a virgin goddess, and the goddess of chastity. She also presides over
childbirth, which may seem odd for a virgin, but goes back to causing Leto no pain when
she was born. She became associated with Hecate. The cypress is her tree. All wild
animals are scared to her, especially the deer.
Hephaestus
Hephaestus is the son of Zeus and Hera. Sometimes it is said that
Hera alone produced him and that he has no father. He is the only god to be physically
ugly. He is also lame. Accounts as to how he became lame vary. Some say that Hera,
upset by having an ugly child, flung him from Mount Olympus into the sea, breaking his
legs. Others that he took Hera's side in an argument with Zeus and Zeus flung him off
Mount Olympus. He is the god of fire and the forge. He is the smith and armorer of the
gods. He uses a volcano as his forge. He is the patron god of both smiths and weavers. He
is kind and peace loving. His wife is Aphrodite. Sometimes his wife is identified as
Aglaia.
taken from http://www.hol.gr/greece/olymp.htm